Joseph van ruymbeke



(No Model.)

J. VAN RUYMBEKE. PROCESS OF PREPARING STEAM.

No. 522,131. Patented June 26, 1894.

I'Hl NATIONAL LrmoGnAFl-nna COMPANY.

- WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JOSEPH VAN RUYMBEKE,'OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM F. J OBBINS, OF SAME PLACE.

PROCESSOF PREPARING STEAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 522,131, dated June 26, 1 894.

Application filed March 7 1894:- Serial No. 502,704:- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH VAN RUYMBEKE, asub ect of the King of Belgium, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Processes of and Apparatus for Preparing Steam for Industrial Purposes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a process of, and apparatus for preparing steam for industrial purposes, and consists in generating steam in any suitable way, in expanding the same, and in re-heating the expandedsteam to anytemperature desired.

Expanded and re-heated steam prepared in the manner which I shall describe is advantageous for distillation,purification and concentration of liquids, desiccation of solid matters, for ordinary radiating'purposes and for many other industrial purposes. Ordinary steam, whether saturated or super-heated, when used for heating purposes, tends to expand in the heating device and its temperature is thereby diminished. Expanded and re-heated steam,

. prepared as I shall describe, carries a much greater amount of latent heat than ordinary steam at the same temperature, and being in an expanded condition is not open to the objection just pointed out to saturated and super-heated steam.

In the conventional form of apparatus illustrated sectionally and diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings A, is a cylindrical drum, B, a steam pipe from the boiler, C, is an expansion coil in the drum connected with the pipe 13, but of much greater diameter than the same; D, is a pipe for conveying the expanded and re-heated steam from the expansion coil; E, is a pipe for conveying live steam into the drum A, for heating the same; and F, is a radiating apparatus of any approved construction.

Steam may be expanded and re-heated in an I apparatus of this kind in the following way:

The steam is generated in any desirable form of boiler or generating apparatus and passes through the pipe B, under pressure. Upon entering the expansion coil C, there being a much greater space for it to occupy, the steam will rapidly expand and the temperature thereof will be lowered according to the ex Live steam, either from the'boiler.

pansion. or from any other source, is admitted into the drum A, through the pipe E, and heats the expansion coilalmost or. but slightly below the temperature of the live steam. The expansion coil being heated in this way, the steam which has expanded therein will be heated to the proper temperature and will pass out through the pipe D, to be used for the purposes desired. 1.

With such a form of apparatus described it is apparent that the expansion coil 0, should be of sufficient size to allow the steam to expand to the desired extent and should be of sufficient length to allow the expanded steam to be heated to the desired temperature, according to the use to which it is to be put. Instead of heating the steam in the expansion coil by reason of live steam surrounding the same, it is obvious that other means may be employed, such as heated air, and it is also evident that the steam may be expanded into the drum A, and may be reheated by confined steam in the coil C.

When expanded and re-heated steam is used in steam heating apparatus, it has the advantage of carrying more latent heat per unit of water condensed and that consequently less condensation takes place in the pipes in starting the apparatus and that therefore less noise from the apparatus isdeveloped. Instead of having an expansion pipe of larger diameter than the steam delivery pipe from the boiler, an expansion pipe of the same or even less diameter may be used provided it is separated from the delivery pipe by means of a valve G, which may be so adjusted that the inlet opening shall have a definite relation to the larger exit openingof the expansion pipe, this construction being more particularly available where my process is introduced with the use of old apparatus and the change in the construction is desired to be of the minimum character.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In the art of preparing steam for industrial purposes, the improvement which consists in allowing saturated steam to expand, subjecting the expanded steam to a reheating by live steam in a heating chamber surrounding the passage way of the expanded steam, and passing the expanded and reheated steam to the point of application, as and for the purpose described. t

2. In the art of preparing steam for industrial purposes, the improvement which consists in allowing saturated steam to expand, subjecting the expanded steam to a reheating by live steam of the same temperature as the expanded steam previous to expansion, such reheating being effected in a heating chamber surrounding the passage way of the expanded steam, and passing the expanded and reheated steam to the point of application, as and for the purposes described.

3. In the art of preparing steam for industrial purposes, the improvement which con sists in generating steam in a boiler, allowing a portion of the steam thus generated to expaud, subjecting such expanded steam to a reheating by means of steam from the same boiler, such reheating being efiected in a separate heating chamber surrounding the passage way of the expanded steam, and passing the expanded and reheated steam to the point of application, as and for the purposes described.

4. An apparatus for preparing expanded and reheated steam, consisting of a steam delivery pipe, an expansion coil connected therewith having an outlet opening larger than the inlet opening, a heating cylinder surrounding the expansion coil, and a steam pipe for said heating chamber supplying live steam thereto, substantially as described.

JOSEPH VAN RUYMBEKE.

Witnesses: I

WILLIAM F. FORBES, J. B. BAUMANN. 

